When friends unfamiliar with my gardening hobby come to call, I sometimes serve homegrown Amaranth leaf salad as a side dish. The beautiful magenta-tinged leaves of the Red Leaf Amaranth plant are mature enough by early summer to use as a stand-alone salad or mixed with other greens. Because they are not sold in grocery stores or even at produce stands, no one has a clue what the colorful greens are. Thus, I often refer to this dish as my “Mystery Salad”.
I only recently found I could grow Amaranth….. which I first discovered as a “seed or grain” that I use when baking cookies to add a crunchy texture. It also provides an extra depth of flavor when added to pancake or muffin batters.
Grown historically by the Aztecs, gluten-free Amaranth is high in protein , vitamins and minerals. I grow it in pots outside my kitchen door rather than in my garden where it can be nibbled by deer. The plants produce leaves, flowers and nutritious seeds similar to buckwheat and quinoa from May through October.
Similar in taste to arugula but more delicate., the leaves are delicious in salads on their own or combined with Green Leaf or Romaine lettuces and/or red onion, red pepper, cucumber, radishes or cherry tomatoes. The greens are best when combined with an herbed Balsamic vinaigrette that’s simple to whip up.
Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 Tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon of sugar or to taste
- Healthy dollop of Dijon mustard
- 1 large or two small garlic cloves chopped
- 2 or 3 stems of thyme stripped from stem
- 2 stems of flat leaf parsley – torn
- 2 leaves of basil – torn
- 2 stems of chives – chopped
Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, and the dollop of Dijon mustard. Add herbs, whisk again and allow the herbs to steep for a few moments before serving.
Simply layer the leaves, add some cat mint blossoms or other edible flowers and set the dressing out for guests to drizzle. I like to serve the salad as a compliment for casseroles made from richly sauced chicken or turkey and porcini mushrooms.